Busch is on a one-year contract with Furniture Row Racing through 2013, and neither driver nor team elaborated further on the rumor over the weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Busch did say his focus at the moment is solely on making the Chase for the Sprint Cup with Furniture Row.

“Well, it’s being focused,” he told NASCAR.com. “I’m excited that we’re running well. We’re able to seal the deal, when that’s been some of our struggles through the midpoint of the season.”

Apart from the oddity that two of NASCAR’s most decorated – and occasionally controversial – drivers could be linking up, the move seems unlikely for a couple reasons.

It’s a team that already has three cars, with Stewart set to return from his injuries, Kevin Harvick joining from Richard Childress Racing and Danica Patrick needing to improve in what will be her second full-time season at the Sprint Cup level. So Busch would be yet another alpha dog in the chain. After two years restoring his reputation at smaller teams, it’s unlikely he’d go to a new team to play second or third-fiddle at what would be a new team effort, as a fourth car for SHR.

As ever, available sponsorship will be the ultimate determining factor. GoDaddy has increased its NASCAR presence with some signage on Stewart’s No. 14, including the full livery on his car at the second Pocono race, Stewart’s most recent start. A sponsor that isn’t already in the SHR fold – a fold that currently includes Bass Pro Shops, Mobil 1, Quicken Loans and GoDaddy among others – would need to be found to make a fourth car possible.

Stewart Haas has already announced Ryan Newmanis looking for new employment in 2014 and Stewart himself has said he’d do everything to help Newman going forward. I wouldn’t say “adding a fourth car after telling a friend you’d help him” counts as “helping” in this situation.

Better to be Busch though at this point, with several appetizing possibilities (SHR, Childress, Ganassi, growing at Furniture Row, or a wild card) on the table in free agency.